


13x17 Coda: Gabriel

by Piper_Halliwell1979



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angelic Grace, Angry Castiel (Supernatural), Brothers, Coda, Good brother Castiel, Healing, Injured Gabriel (Supernatural), Inner Dialogue, M/M, Mute Gabriel (Supernatural), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Season/Series 13, Secret Relationship, Stressed Castiel, Supportive Sam Winchester, Talking, caregiver sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:45:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14281260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piper_Halliwell1979/pseuds/Piper_Halliwell1979
Summary: Sam cares for Gabriel after Dean and Ketch leave. Castiel has deep one-sided conversation with his brother and confides a secret to Sam.





	13x17 Coda: Gabriel

“Gabriel? Gabe?” Sam tried to get the broken angel’s attention. “Hey, it’s okay. I just wanna help you clean up a bit. At least let me get the stitches out. Will you let me do that?” Sam spoke as quietly and gently as he could. Gabriel’s wild eyes turned sharply towards him. He barely nodded and Sam got the tweezers.

 

_ I hurt you, Sam. Why are you doing this for me? How can you be so...kind?  _ Gabriel wanted to ask.

 

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready. I get it. Believe me, I do. I...my soul spent a year in the cage with Lucifer and Michael. And that was just an earth year. It was more like a hundred down there. I still have nightmares...night terrors.”

 

Sam swabbed some antiseptic around Gabriel’s lips. “I dunno what happened to you. All this time we thought you were dead. We would have looked for you if we’d known. All that Mystery Spot shit...TV Land...I put it behind me. Dean did, too. And Cas...shit. Cas. I gotta call him. Cas forgives you. He knows why you did what you did. And he knows how you stood up for us, helped us win. You don’t know how happy he’s gonna be to see you.”

 

_ Cassie? He’s still here?  _

 

“Will you be okay here so I can call him? You want a shower or something? I can give you a room to rest in.” Sam offered. Gabe nodded.

 

Sam didn't touch him. He just gestured which way to go and turned on the light to one of the guest rooms. “This okay?”

 

Gabriel sat on the soft mattress. There was a blanket and a pillow. Some books were on the shelf. Sam almost shut the door but a strangled cry escaped his throat. Sam looked horrified with himself.

 

“Fuck, Gabe. I’m so sorry. Wide open, okay? You can go anywhere you want. You’re safe here. You’re not some POW Ketch traded to us. Cas is family. That makes you family, too.”

 

Sam paused in the doorway a moment before leaving a silent Gabriel to himself. His gut churned when he thumbed over Cas’ icon on his phone.

 

***

 

“That makes it  _ so _ much better,” Cas sniped at Sam. He stormed down the hallway to find his brother. Sam carried a plate of food he hoped Gabriel would try. It was a pancake soaked soggy with syrup and some sliced bananas.

 

Cas’ anger melted when he laid eyes on Gabe. Then he saw the Enochian covering the walls. “Fuck.” It was passages from the Bible, partly Gabe’s story. “Has he spoken yet?” He directed at Sam.

 

“No. He’s...it's PTSD, Cas. You know what that’s like. We all do. I haven’t pushed him. I talk, from a distance. Maybe...maybe he’ll let you heal him. Enough so a shower won’t sting.” Sam looked over to Gabe. “I’m not talking about you like you’re not here, man. I know you’re in there. I’ll give you some space.”

 

Cas cautiously approached his brother. “Would you allow me to heal you? I can’t fix everything. Just the most recent wounds.” Gabriel glared at him but scooted back on the bed. He was once a powerful archangel. Now he was being coddled by his baby brother and a hunter he’d screwed over a hundred times. They pitied him. Poor, broken, useless Gabriel. Cas laid hands on him and the alien grace stitched his wounds together.

 

“I am no stranger to Asmodeus, brother. He used your grace to shapeshift. Manipulate. He only held me for a short time but he still managed to do some damage to my relationship with Dean. They didn’t know I was gone. They didn’t look for me.” Cas sat on the edge of the bed. “He made you believe things that weren’t real. He took from you, silenced you. But you aren’t broken, Gabriel. I...I came to admire you. I still do. To endure what you have and to still have such fire inside you. You fought for independence. You fought for humanity. You fought for  _ me _ . For my free will to choose this. My  _ family. _ Never forget that. Never forget who you are, what you mean.”

 

Gabriel reached out to touch Castiel’s arm. Tears glistened in his eyes.  _ Thank you.  _ He still couldn’t make the words come. He hoped Castiel understood. 

 

“They’ve made this place a real home, Sam and Dean. I have my own room. If you want it, this one will be yours more permanently. You may have all the time you need. They gave that to me when...when I was in the depths of depression. I still struggle. It’s better now. I have reasons to keep going. I would like you to meet my children, Gabriel. Adopted. Claire was my vessel’s daughter. She’s a handful. A hunter. A hero. I swear as much shit as she gives me...that crooked smile at me makes it all worth it. And Jack...he may have been sired by Lucifer but he  _ chose _ me before he was born. I...I love him. I love them both as if they were my flesh and blood. Dean has gone to bring him home.”

 

It felt good to talk to his brother. Even if all he got in return was silence.

 

“I died, Gabriel. At the hands of Lucifer. I went to the Empty. But Jack woke me up. He made it possible for me to come  _ home _ . In my absence, Sam and Dean became his family. His bond to them made him seek the other universe to rescue their mother, Mary. I am angry with Dean for not informing me of his intentions to leave, but I understand why he did it. He is trying to make our family whole again. You’ll like Jack. Think of how happy he’ll be to meet his Uncle Gabriel. There’s so much you can teach him about his archangel side and humanity.”

 

_ That’s a powerful nephilim. And Cas thinks of him as a child? Dean was co-parenting? What the hell happened while he was gone? _

 

“I sense your concerns. Jack’s mother was a very kind and loving woman. She always let him know it.  _ Feel _ it. She’s as much or more a part of him than Lucifer. That’s the side he embraces. He aged himself to defend himself. To be strong enough to withstand Lucifer’s influence. He’d sooner kill him than hug him. Lucifer is delusional about any possible connection between them. He didn’t even know his name.”

 

_ Lucifer's a bag of dicks. Kid’s much better off with the Winchesters. _

 

“Sam made you some food. Please try to eat it. It will take time to recover your grace. I’d offer some of mine but I’m afraid it would only make you feel worse. The water pressure here is amazing. You might feel better after a shower. I can find some clothes for you. You should be comfortable while you recuperate.”

 

_ I don’t deserve this kindness. From any of you.  _

 

“I’ll be back, Gabriel. I need to speak with Sam about the portal.”

 

***

 

“What the actual fuck, Sam? You got a lead on the Seal of Solomon and I get a hurried text from Dean. Then you call me  _ hours _ later to tell me Dean was almost possessed by a Lovecraftian tentacled god, Arthur  _ Ketch _ is awarded sanctuary in  _ my _ home because he showed up with my assumed dead brother and enough of his grace to complete the spell.  _ Then _ , you allow Dean to go with that...that... _ asshole _ !” Cas was seething and unloading all his frustrations on Sam.

 

“Whoa! First of all, I didn’t  _ let _ Dean do shit. He was going and he wouldn’t let me convince him otherwise. And I called you like five minutes after he left. I  _ thought _ he had talked to you after we got the seal. I know why he took Ketch. He needs a ruthless killer over there and he doesn’t give a shit if Ketch makes it out alive. He’s not risking either one of us getting hurt or killed. We’re the cavalry if he doesn’t get Mom and Jack back before it closes.”

 

Cas growled and hit the table hard. “I have every right to be pissed.”

 

“You do, Cas. I’m sorry. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Cas pulled out a chair to flop down. He ran his hands through his hair, making it look unkempt. “We keep losing each other, Sam. It’s so good when we’re on the same page but those times are getting fewer and further between. His foolish attempts at flirtations with Daphne…”

 

Sam smirked. “You were jealous? That was like some recessed adolescent part of Dean chasing after a fantasy.” Sam sat down with him. “I know it isn’t any of my business...no, wait. It absolutely  _ is _ my business. Are you and Dean...together?”

 

Cas put his hands over his face. “It’s complicated.”

 

“Complicated how? Person A likes Person B. Person B likes Person A.”

 

“Sam...Dean and I, he’ll kill me for saying this, we’ve slept together. Many times over the years. Sometimes to relieve stress, sometimes for comfort. We leave it at that. Neither of us have been in a position to offer or accept more than that.”

 

“But you’d like it to be more?”

 

“Of course I would, Sam. I love Dean. In his own way I know he loves me, too.”

 

Sam stared down at his hands on the table. “For what it’s worth, I’d support it. If Dean thinks I wouldn’t treat him exactly the same he’s wrong. I always figured he wasn’t completely straight. Just blamed it on Dad and his macho bullshit.”

 

“He doesn’t see it that way. He’s hid a great deal of himself from the world so it couldn’t be used to manipulate him. I’ve been used against him on mere speculation. Confirmation of our relationship makes us more of a liability to one another.”

 

“Dean and I have been a liability to each other all our lives. That’s no excuse. You both deserve to be happy and that’s obviously with each other.”

 

“I  _ did _ consult a Djinn expert. I described what happened and since I left before consummating it isn’t binding. I am not married.”

 

Sam patted Cas’ shoulder. “Good. So...to completely change the subject, do you think Gabe’s gonna pull through?”

 

“It will take time but I’m sure Gabriel will recover. He’s resilient. I made sure he knows he’s not alone. I offered him permanent residence. I urged him to eat and shower. The kinds of things you and Dean did for me. This is my home. My family.”

 

“Yeah it is. I told Gabe he was family, too. I’m gonna go check on him. Don’t jump in the rift,” Sam warned.

 

*** 

 

Gabriel was still sitting on the bed with his knees drawn up and arms around them. The plate of food was on the floor and mostly eaten. He was startled by Sam’s gentle tapping on the door frame.

 

“You ate? Awesome! I can make you more if you want. Or show you around the kitchen. You’re welcome to whatever. Just checking in. I put a robe and some clean clothes in the bathroom. The pants are sweats so they’ll bunch at the ankles. Again, you’re welcome to whatever you need. Cas doesn’t sleep so he’ll be around if you need him. Goodnight, Gabe.”

 

_ Goodnight, Sam. Thank you. _

 

He didn’t have enough grace to clean himself and since he ate and drank the water Sam left him he had to take care of human functions. He eased along the walls to find the bathroom Sam and Cas spoke of. There were clothes as promised and a few new toiletries meant for him or other houseguests. He had faked being human long enough on earth to remember the basics. 

 

Gabriel started the shower and adjusted the temperature. He discarded his filthy rags on the floor and let the water cleanse the dirt and dried blood and sweat from his body. He washed himself and his hair several times before he finally felt clean. Cas was right about the water pressure. 

 

The clothes were soft and warm. The socks felt good on his feet. He combed his hair back from his face and inspected his reflection. Cassie had done a decent job healing the superficial wounds. He parted his lips to look at his tongue. No damage. He could make some noises so his vocal chords were intact. But words wouldn’t form. 

 

He wasn’t hungry so he went back to his assigned room. Cas was sitting in a chair by the bed. “You look better, Gabriel. I imagine you feel better as well. I...I brought you a night light. You can sleep without the all the lights on but it wouldn’t be so dark. It’s silly, I suppose. The hall lights would come in through the doorway.”

 

Gabriel just nodded before pulling the covers back to get in the bed. He laid on his back but looked at Cas like he wanted something. Cas got up and laid on top of the blankets next to his brother. Gabriel closed his eyes.

 

“I’ll watch over you, Gabriel. You’re not alone.”


End file.
